Oeuvres de Champlain
Chapitre I
1629
The Generall of the French taken by Captaine Kirke in Canada doth
acknowledge all good usage in respect of Diett and lodging.
His grievances are,
1. That friendes and visitantes have not free accesse to him.
2. That he is upon a Diett where he hath much more then he desires without
any agreement what he must pay for it, which makes him feare that if he
should long continue as he doth, he should not be able to give satisfaction
for it. Whereupon being asked whie he did not take his diett with the
Maister of the house who had divers times invited him, offering him the
freedome of his house and garden, he answered that he loved it private, and
being further demaunded whie he did not expresse himselfe in that point of
his diett the charge whereof he feared, he answered that he tooke what they
brought him. And being againe demanded, whether he had not cleane linnen
as was fitt, or that any that would have brought him cleane linnen had beene
refused to come to him, he answered, that he had his linnen washed in the
house, but in respect of the charge he desired to have a laundresse of his
owne, whereupon asking of the Maister of the house whie he did refute it,
he said that his house had beene much troubled with two women that came
thither, and having some suspicion of them he refused them entrance.
3. The third grievance is, that he is detayned for a ransome which neither
ought to be demanded, nor is he able to pay. For he holds himselfe to be noe
lawfull prisoner of warre not having beene taken in warre, but upon a
plantacion. And he insists much upon this, That all prisoners taken on both
sides since the warre between the Crownes have beene freely delivered, not
onely those that have beene taken by the Kings armies or fleetes, but such
as have beene taken upon lettres of Marque, whereof he gives instance in
some taken att Newfoundland, and insistes upon the freedome that Capt. Kirke gave to all the rest that were under his command. And for his
ransome, he professeth his whole estate in France is not worth above 700.
L. Sterling, and wisheth that for their satisfaction they would send over
some man to search the notaries bookes and the contract of Mariage with
his wife, or any other waie that may discover his estate, and should they
keepe him ten yeares and ten yeares, he was altogether unable to pay a
ransome, and wished that noe man would judge of his estate by his
clinquant cloathes.
The Commissarie Generall doth not complaine but acknowledgeth all good
usage for Diett and lodging. His grievances are two.
1. That friendes are not permitted to come to him.
2. That he is kept prisoner for a ransome, beinge noe prisoner of warre, and
useth the same argumentes as before.
He saies that att the first he wanted linnen, but now his friendes have
furnished him, And the Maister of the house being questioned, he answered,
that he had offered him accomodacions in this kind which were refused.
(State Paper Office, vol. V, n. 33.)